Not Quite as Planned
by Hiyono-chan1209
Summary: Ever since she built the mansion that fall, Rio had been anxious to meet the people who were to move in. She had placed it near the path to her farm so she could easily get to know them when the time came. She had thought she would only be making some new friends with stories of faraway lands, but there was going to be more than she had bargained for to go along with it.
1. Prologue: Rio

**Not Quite as Planned**

Note: My first Harvest Moon fanfic! And it's Sanjay and Rio! I've been obsessed with A New Beginning, and I finally managed to unlock Sanjay earlier today. I had already known about him so I was extremely excited to officially meet him. But while I had been waiting, I was very disappointed with the lack of creations involving the sweetheart, so I'm going to try to satisfy myself with my own work! Oh, and all chapters will be labeled by which character's viewpoint it'll be focused around.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters. I am merely playing around with these characters.

* * *

It was the last day of Fall, and all through the Pumpkin Festival celebrations Rio could think of nothing more than who would be moving into the mansion she had built earlier in the season and what kind of people they would be. When she had first built it, Rio had expected there to be a knock on the door the next morning, but when there hadn't been one, she had talked with Dunhill about it. Rio thought back on the conversation.

"Oh, they said they wouldn't be able to come during Fall, because one of them had some sort of meeting. Something along those lines. I would expect them to be here on the first day of Winter, then, since you already built their home. And by the way, I'd like to say that everyone is so happy with everything you've been doing for us, and we're all sorry we can't do a whole lot to help…"

After that she had tuned out as Dunhill had continued on talking about his plans for the town when all of his big restoration plans were done. Rio, of course, was perfectly happy to help out in the way she was. She loved knowing that it was because of her work, in combination with everyone's input and the plans, that the town was growing the way everyone had hoped it would. However, after a year and a half, it was getting a little lonely at her farm all by herself there. Sure, she had her animals, but you couldn't have a conversation with animals. They love to listen, but can't give you any sort of response.

By this time, the dessert house had been eaten and everyone was content. After checking with everyone to hear their thoughts on this year's festival, Rio rushed home. It was just barely after six when she got back to the farmhouse, but she couldn't stand the wait any more. Seeing the mansion on the way back home had been like mental torture. Rio had built it right by the path from her farm to the main village so she could say hello at any time (or they to her), but passing by it every time she needed to ship something or go search the forest for supplies or pick up some blueprints or ingredients… It was beginning to take its toll on her!

Rio quickly scribbled down the day's events in her journal, knowing she would regret later on not having written it down much more neatly, but at the moment she didn't care. All she could think about was getting to bed so she could be awake the next morning for their arrival. When she finished writing, Rio slammed the book shut and put it haphazardly into its place.

_New neighbors, new neighbors, new neighbors! _That was all that was running through her head.

Rio quickly shut off all the lights and dove right into bed, hardly taking the seconds needed to remove her shoes. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, and her dreams were filled with exciting adventures that resulted from her ideas of the stories the new villagers would have.


	2. Sanjay

**Not Quite as Planned**

Note: I dunno about you guys, but I've always imagined Sanjay as the type to get clumsy and/or awkward when he's around someone he really likes. I just think it's really cute. Anyways, this will be following my own playthrough. Now excuse me while I go lay in misery because it's winter and I have a cold that the wind only makes worse.

Disclaimer: I do not own harvest Moon or any of its characters. I am merely playing around with these characters.

* * *

It was six in the morning on the dot on the first day of Winter, exactly when Sanjay and Amir had promised Dunhill they would meet him in front of the home of the town's informal construction worker. However, the elder had not arrived. He was to alert the "construction worker" – her name was Rio, Dunhill had said – that they had indeed arrived and was to introduce them. But since he had not arrived, Sanjay was worried.

"Master, I am not sure what we should do. Should we wait for Mister Dunhill, or should we go in ourselves?" Sanjay asked. He looked at Prince Amir, somewhat disgruntled that he seemed more interested in the prospect of the animals rather than introducing himself to the person who had so generously donated their time and materials to build their home.

Though, the animals were sure to be cute… _No, no, Sanjay. Now is not the time to fawn over the cute little animals. There will be plenty of time for that once we are settled. I am sure Miss Rio will not mind if I explore her farm if I find spare time._

"What? Oh, well, if he's not here, then let's just introduce ourselves," Amir said, tearing his gaze from the barns the animals were in. _Was that an alpaca I just heard?_

Sanjay took a deep breath and cleared his throat before raising his hand to knock on the front door. Just as his knuckles made contact the first time, the door swung wide open to reveal a girl. Thankfully, Sanjay managed to stop himself from knocking the girl in the face. She was wearing the cutest outfit, blue shorts with a vest over a button-up and thigh-high socks. Sanjay had to fight to keep his composure.

"O- Oh, are… Are you Miss Rio?" he asked. He wished he could rewind time. _Of course_ this was her. Who else owned a farm in this small town?

The girl smiled and nodded. "Yep, that's me. And you are?" she asked as she gestured for them to come inside. Sanjay and Amir followed, glancing around at the comforting décor.

_Oh, Goddess, why must everything about her be so cute? Even her voice!_

Sanjay cleared his throat. "My name is Sanjay, Miss Rio, and this," he said, stepping aside to reveal Amir, "is Master Amir, prince of a faraway land."

Amir nodded, stepping forward. "It is very nice to meet you, Rio. We came to thank you for building our mansion for us. It's beautiful."

Rio smiled again. "Aw, thanks. Well, um, if you guys need any help or have questions about the house, please feel free to come right over. If I'm not here, I'm not far away," she said. Amir nodded and stepped back.

"Thank you very much, Miss Rio. I hope we can become good friends," Sanjay replied. He smiled, following Amir outside. "Good luck with your work today."

The two walked back to the mansion in silence. Sanjay continued to think about the girl. He wondered how such a pretty girl came to be owner of her own farm, and then became the one who had practically rebuilt the town from the ground up! She was all that was on his mind the entire time he had been making breakfast and while eating.

Once Amir finished, Sanjay took up the dishes and began washing them, along with the others from the boxes that had been sent ahead. He shook himself as he did.

_We did not come to this village to dream the day away while thinking about Miss Rio. We came for Master Amir to have a place to relax. This isn't like you, Sanjay. We need to get to work on getting everything organized, anyway._

A knock on the front door of the mansion startled him out of his thoughts. Sanjay quickly dried his hands and hurried to the door, only to be surprised by the person standing there. It was Miss Rio, with her hands full of food dishes.

"Miss Rio! How nice to see you again. Come in," Sanjay said, stepping aside for her to enter. "Would you like any help with that?"

"Um, actually, these are for you and Amir. Welcoming gifts I made after I finished the day's work," Rio explained. She held the dishes up and smiled.

"Oh, I see! How very thoughtful of you, Miss Rio. This is very appreciated," Sanjay replied, smiling. He began to reach out to take the dishes when Rio turned away some.

"Um… Here, this one is for you. And this one is for Amir. Is he here?" Rio asked, handing Sanjay a mug of steaming tea. In her other hand was a slice of chocolate cake, something Sanjay knew Master Amir enjoyed.

Sanjay nodded. "Master Amir is upstairs in his bedroom, the room with double doors. Would you like me to bring it up to him, or do you prefer to take it yourself?" he asked.

"I'll take it myself." Rio smiled. "I hope you guys like this. I didn't know what you liked, so I took a guess."

Sanjay took a small sip of the tea, noticing a sweet, floral undertone. It was some of the best tea he had ever tasted. "This is wonderful tea, Miss Rio. May I ask what kind of tea leaves you used?"

"I grew them myself in the spring. Tea leaves grown in the spring are supposed to be sweeter. I hadn't used any of the ones I had saved for myself, though, so I wasn't sure how true that was… Anyway, I'm so glad you like it!" Rio smiled again, and this time she seemed to be glowing. Sanjay smiled, too.

"It is very good. You must allow me to make you some tea at one point as well," he replied. Rio nodded and turned toward the stairs.

"I need to go drop this off and then be on my way. There are some things I need to pick up. If I don't see you on my way out, have a nice day, Sanjay!" she said, making her way up the stairs.

Sanjay smiled and waved, waiting until Rio was out of view from his position to return to the kitchen and dining room. As he drank the tea, he continued organizing the kitchen to his liking. He heard the front door open and close about a minute later, just as he was spreading the tablecloth across the dining table. He took a moment to look toward the window, but from his vantage across the room from the window, he couldn't really tell what he was looking at. Carefully, Sanjay began picking his way around boxes to get a better view. As he did, he noticed Rio standing in front of a wooden box in front of a house with a purple fence, a woman standing on the other side. Rio was unloading bottles of milk, balls of yarn, and eggs from her bag into the box as she chatted with the woman.

A stray box corner caught Sanjay by surprise, causing him to trip and fall onto the window. He made a loud enough noise to cause Rio and the woman to both jump. Sanjay waved nervously and shrugged, pointing down and mouthing the word "boxes". Both women nodded, and while the one he did not know left, Rio put down her bag and turned around completely. She mouthed the words, "Are you okay?" Sanjay nodded, bowing his head in apology. Rio gave him a gentle smile before turning back around and returning to her work.

Sanjay made sure he was completely out of view of the window before he allowed himself to react the way he had wanted to, that being burying his face in his hands and rocking himself on the balls of his feet. It was only their first day there, and already he had managed to embarrass himself twice in front of one of the most important people in town. _Good going, Sanjay._

* * *

A little over a week passed, and all the unpacking was finally finished. By this time, Sanjay and Amir were gradually getting used to the village, exploring during their free time during the afternoons. Miss Rio always stopped by, every morning at around 6:20, to poke her head into the dining room to say hello, and later, after nine, to drop off some something else. It was always food she had made herself. She never disappointed, either: She never gave them something they didn't at least like, and there was never anything they were neutral about.

That day, Sanjay had been wandering the foyer, having finished his breakfast early. A knock on the opening front door startled him, and he turned around to see Miss Rio standing there, smiling.

"Good morning, Sanjay!" she said, walking up to him.

"Oh, good morning, Miss Rio. Are you here to see Master Amir? My apologies, but he is busy at the moment," Sanjay said. Miss Rio's smile was replaced with a confused expression as she leaned back a bit in surprise.

"Amir? Oh, no, Sanjay, I'm here to see you, silly," she replied, her smile reappearing.

"Oh! My apologies. I would never have thought you were here for me." Sanjay paused. "Please, allow me to apologize by making you some tea."

Miss Rio's smile widened. "Thank you! I've been excited to taste your tea since… How many days was that? The day you guys first moved here, and I brought you some tea?" she asked. Sanjay smiled.

"That would be ten days ago, Miss Rio. Right this way," he replied, leading her into the kitchen.

After a while of waiting, Sanjay poured the tea into two cups and brought it to where Miss Rio was waiting. "I'm sorry, I was not sure what you liked, so I made herbal tea. I hope my serving my favorite is alright," he explained.

Miss Rio took a sip, widening her eyes as she swallowed. She took another drink, this one bigger. Sanjay laughed. "Good, I'm glad you seem to like it." He paused, watching her smile as she continued to drink. "Your smile reminds me of the way everyone has been treating Master Amir and I… Nothing but warmth. I'm glad we have become friends, if it isn't too forward of me to say that."

Miss Rio looked up and shook her head. "No, it isn't. I'm glad you're my friend, too, Sanjay." She smiled and went back to her tea, finishing up the last sip with a contented sigh. Sanjay finished his quickly, as well.

"Here, let me take your glass. Thank you for coming to see me today, Miss Rio," Sanjay said as he gathered their glasses and deposited them in the sink. "Please, let me walk you home."

Sanjay chatted happily with Miss Rio as he walked her to her house on the farm. When he returned to the mansion, he retreated to his room, where he sat on the bed and buried his hot face in his hands. There, he happily reminisced over the days' events.


	3. Rio

**Not Quite as Planned**

Note: I wrote this in what I shouldn't consider as one sitting because I got up for food and it took me all day but what I'm going to count as one sitting anyway. Rio's chapters seem like they're going to be a little harder to come to for me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters. I am merely playing around with these characters.

* * *

Two days after Sanjay gave her some tea, a blizzard hit the town. Until the blizzard, Rio had been in high spirits. Her excitement from Sanjay's invitation hadn't faded even though the event was long over. However, despite the harsh winds and heavy snow, she would have to go out and care for her animals. Rio groaned, cursing the weather, as she walked to her door.

She ran to her dogs and cats first, putting out more food and petting them while trying to warm herself up. She did the same with her chickens in their coop and carefully placed the eggs in her bag. Rio dreaded going into her barn, though, as she had a lot of animals and didn't feel well. She decided to forgo the brushing for the day and instead just placed out fodder and gathered milk and wool, but even after just that she felt horrible. However, Rio knew she would have to go put her wares into the shipping box. After turning the wool into yarn, she walked into town.

_Everyone's going to scold me for going out today if I go to check on them. I'm sure they'll understand if I don't today. But… I don't know how the mansion is going to hold up in such extreme weather, and I'm worried about Sanjay and Amir. They'll probably scold me, too, but I don't want them to suffer because I made a mistake during construction. I'll just go visit them, and then I'll go back to bed._

Once her things were in the shipping box, she hurried to the mansion. A gust of wind blew the doors out of her hands as she was opening it, letting in a ton of snow in the process. "Oh, no! This is just great!" Rio said in frustration, tugging on her bangs.

Rio managed to get the door shut, but had no idea how to get the snow outside without letting more in. She stood facing the pile of snow, hands on her hips, when Sanjay came down the stairs. He was surprised to find her standing in front of that pile of snow with such a powerful blizzard going.

"Miss Rio! What happened? And, if you don't mind me asking, why are you not at home?" Sanjay asked, startling Rio. She whirled around to face him.

"Oh! Sanjay, you scared me! I, um… I came by to check on you guys because I wasn't entirely sure how the house would do in the storm and I was worried about you, and when I was coming in, the wind caught the doors and blew in a bunch of snow before I could shut them again," Rio explained sheepishly.

Sanjay's eyes softened as she spoke. "Thank you for worrying about us, but the house is fine, as are we. However, you don't sound fine at all! Why were you out in this blizzard, anyway?" he asked as he moved toward a cabinet under the stairs.

"Well, I couldn't just leave my animals without going to make sure they were okay. And after I took care of them I had to go put some things in the shipping bin, and since I was worried about you guys I decided to check on you before I went back home. I was going to go home and eat and then go to bed after I made sure you were okay," Rio replied. She shivered and rubbed her arms. "But what about the snow?"

"To be honest, I am more worried about you," Sanjay said. He draped a blanket around Rio's shoulders and led her into the kitchen, instructing her to sit near the warm stove. "I will be right back, Miss Rio, and then I can make you some tea to warm you up."

Rio remained by the stove and pulled the blanket closer around her. Sanjay returned a few minutes later. "The snow is being taken care of, so don't you worry about that. What you should be worrying about is your health. Please, if you will let me, I would like to walk you back to your home and care for you there," he said.

Rio nodded, allowing Sanjay to escort her out. He wrapped a blanket of his own around himself and then hooked his arm around Rio's shoulders before he began to walk her out of the kitchen. Amir was shoveling the snow into buckets with a slight smile on his face, and he waved as they left. They trudged through the snow, their progress slowed due to the harsh winds.

When they reached Rio's house, Sanjay led her in and brought her to the bed. He removed her shoes for her and tucked her into her sheets, draping the blanket she had been wrapped in over her comforter. "Please wait here for me. I can make you something to eat, and when you finish that, you may go to sleep," Sanjay said with a smile as he leaned over her.

Rio smiled as he walked into her kitchen, allowing herself to sink into the pillow. She was glad for the help Sanjay was giving, and when he reemerged with a bowl of steaming soup and a cup of tea on a tray, she sat up and accepted the tray onto her lap. Sanjay moved a chair from her table to sit next to her while she ate. She smiled at him when she finished eating.

"Thank you, Sanjay. I'm feeling better already," Rio said. Sanjay smiled.

"Good. See if you can sleep now. I'll just wash these dishes and be on my way," he replied. He waited for Rio to lean back and tucked her in again.

"Thank you, Sanjay." Rio smiled at his back while he walked away. Sanjay stopped and turned back, smiling.

"You're welcome, Miss Rio. Please, relax and allow me to clean up." Rio nodded and lay back. She fell asleep to the sound of her sink running and Sanjay humming a soft tune as he worked.

* * *

The blizzard was gone by the next day, and for it being Winter, the weather was calm and peaceful. Rio felt much better by the time she woke back up the next day. A few more days passed like normal. Rio felt like she was beginning to understand Sanjay more. Her fondness for him had grown even further after he had cared for her during the blizzard. By this time she had also figured out his favorite food to be herb pasta, and she had made it a couple times for him.

Rio walked into the mansion on a new day, holding another plate of herb pasta for Sanjay. She smiled when she saw him pacing in front of the fountain in the foyer. Sanjay turned when she shut the door.

"Miss Rio! What perfect timing. I am sorry to ask, but would you mind me asking a favor?" he asked.

"Oh, sure. What do you need?" Rio asked as she placed aside the food.

"Master Amir has some plans of some sort, and they require some material stone. We have the stone, but we do not have a hammer to make it into workable stone. Would you mind using yours to do so?" Sanjay asked.

"Of course! I can do that," Rio said, taking her hammer out of her rucksack. She bent over the stones to arrange them as she preferred.

"Thank you so much, Miss Rio!"

"You're welcome, Sanjay," Rio replied, smiling. She swung her hammer and broke up each of the stones. In the process, she accidentally hit her thumb and split the nail. She hid the pain from it as she put her hammer away.

"Thank you again. I must repay you sometime… Miss Rio, is something the matter?" Sanjay asked.

"What? Oh, no, there's nothing wrong," Rio replied.

"Miss Rio, please, show me your hands," Sanjay asked of her softly. Rio slowly lifted her hands and offered them to Sanjay. He took and inspected them, which was when he noticed her split nail. "Miss Rio! Your nail is split! Did you hit it with your hammer? Come with me, we must take you to the hospital!"

Rio shook her head quickly. "No, I'll be fine! Really! I… I don't like hospitals."

"You don't like hospitals? That is understandable, Miss Rio, but this is not something that should be left alone," Sanjay said. "Please, let's go."

Sanjay practically dragged Rio to the hospital. "Doctor Klaus! I am very sorry to bother you, but Miss Rio is in need of help," he explained after he had entered the building. Klaus nodded and gestured for Rio to sit on a stool.

After examining your finger, Klaus began treatment. "I would hardly expect a farmer to hit your finger," he said as he cleaned the wound.

"Doctor, please, do not speak to Miss Rio in such a way. It was my request that led her to be injured," Sanjay said.

"Calm down, Sanjay. It's not like this is a life-or-death injury. You can go when I finish treating her finger. It shouldn't hurt much, but if it continues to hurt, please come back to see me," Klaus said. He finished up and allowed you up. Sanjay bowed.

"Doctor, thank you." He turned to you. "Miss Rio, would you like to go now? I can walk you to your home."

The walk home was a calm one, considering how tense Sanjay seemed. Inside, Sanjay seemed frustrated. "Your hand must hurt. I am terribly sorry, Miss Rio. I did not mean for you to be injured through my request," Sanjay said. He took Rio's hand and looked at her wrapped injury.

"No, that's okay, Sanjay. I've had this happen before. I just need to be careful with it, that's all," Rio replied, giving him a gentle smile.

_Oh my gosh, Sanjay is holding my hand. I'm so happy… I just wish it wasn't because I hurt myself._

Sanjay inspected Rio's face, still holding her injured hand. Eventually, he smiled. "Thank you, Miss Rio. You are very kind, reassuring me and helping me with the stones earlier. It will help us very much," he said. Rio smiled at him. "I will have to thank you on another day. I'm afraid Master Amir will be needing me. Please be careful, Miss Rio."

Sanjay let her hand go carefully and turned to leave. "Bye, Sanjay." He turned around and waved as he shut the door on his way out. Rio sat on her bed and looked at her hand, inspecting it. She pressed it to her heart a few moments later and flopped onto her back, smiling. She felt the fabric of the blanket draped over her bed, the same blanket that Sanjay had wrapped her in when she had been sick, the same blanket Sanjay afterwards had decided to let her keep after seeing her sleeping peacefully with a corner of it curled tightly in her hand.


End file.
